Ciaran Morrison

Sun 29 March 2026 7:15, UK

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Rangers’ new chief executive Jim Gillespie needs to resolve fan issues as he begins his work at the club.

That is according to ex-Aberdeen, Aston Villa, and Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who states that Gillespie needs to find a way to make the club unified.

Gillespie starts work at Ibrox having been appointed chief executive in January, replacing Patrick Stewart who was sacked in November 2025.

Rangers faced crowd problems in their latest Old Firm clash with rivals Celtic, with the Scottish Football Association [SFA] investigating the disorder which broke out on the pitch.

There have been calls for the Glasgow club to clamp down on the Union Bears, with Rangers expected to be fined because of the ugly scenes.

Jim Gillespie has ‘hard’ Rangers tasks ahead

Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes player trading is also a “big issue” for Gillespie.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness states there is a lot of work for Gillespie to be getting on with.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “He’s now got to repair the whole fan base issue.

“Danny Rohl has helped that a lot, but there is still a major issue. We’ve got the recent SFA problems at the Celtic game with the Union Bears. He’s got a lot of operational fan-based issues he’s got to handle, and he’s got to find a way to try and get a unified club going forward. 

“He’s got to settle down the operational side in terms of the structure. I know Kevin Thelwell has gone, but even now you’ve still got questions. Did he do okay with Youssef Chermiti and all those sorts of things?

“He’s got to settle all that down and start the player trading to be a crucial part of Rangers’ way going forward. They’ve got to get that back on track. Celtic have done it well over many years.

“Rangers have not done it so well, and they’ve got to get that right. So he’s got another big issue there in terms of player trading, recruitment and moving forward. So the football operation side is pretty hard.”  

Rangers confident of fending off Tuur Rommens interest

Sources have told Football Insider that Rangers believe they can keep Tuur Rommens at Ibrox despite interest from clubs in his signature.

Rangers only signed Rommens in the January transfer window, and the 23-year-old has quickly nailed down the left-back position in Danny Rohl’s team.

The Gers have no plans to sell Rommens, even if supporters fear that the Belgian could be sold for profit after having only been bought for £3million.